4,000-Mile Trail Lets You Bike Across The US On One Unbroken Path

Forget the bike lane, this new 4,000-mile path called the Great American Rail-Trail will let you bike from east coast to west coast in a seamless trail.

The trail is already open and offers one long vehicle-free path through some of the most breathtaking scenery and historical routes.

The Great American Rail-Trail will not only serve around 50 million people living in its vicinity, but it’s also of the most environmentally friendly route to explore the beauty of the nation.

Although there are already various trails like this one around the US, this bike trail is unique because it keeps bicyclists out of traffic, which makes it safer.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) president, Ryan Chao said:

“The Great American Rail-Trail will be a national treasure. It presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create—together—an enduring gift to the nation that will bring joy for generations to come.”

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has described the new trail as “the single greatest trails project in the history of the United States,” and they released a map to show off how the trail will look like.

Those traveling from east to west can begin the trail on Washington, DC’s Capital Crescent Trail before riding through Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

You’ll then end up on the Panhandle Trail through Pennsylvania and West Virginia and connect to the Ohio and Erie Trail before proceeding to Indian’s Cardinal Greenway and Illinois’ Hennepin Canal Parkway.

Cyclists will then cross the state of Iowa on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail and the plains using Nebraska’s Cowboy Trail.

After using the Casper Rail Trail to cut through Wyoming, you’ll get on the Headwaters Trail system in Montana and ride The Trail of the Coeur d’Alene through Idaho’s panhandle.

The final route crosses through Washington’s Cascade Mountains on the rail-trail network and ending just 35 miles from Seattle.

The Chesapeake Ohio Canal National Historical Park, which falls under the National Parks System, seems like this stretch will make for some pleasant pedaling.